Loading and unloading Motorcycles-The easy way

To add to my original post-No inexperience here. OK, I was at a campground in Corning Ca. when I heard a loud crunching noise and a lot of cussing! Looked over at my neighbor and he was trying to unload his motorcycle when it went over. My post was not for me, but for the guy I met and have stayed in contact. I have plenty of experience. Been riding since 1968. Never dumped my bike. Just thought of posting to help others.

drmopar wrote:
Just about every forum I read regarding Toy Haulers, many Motorcycle guys have trouble backing down the ramp. I was looking for a solution, simple and easy. I came across "Cycle Spinner". Basically a turntable. Drive in-drive out. Worth it if you dump once backing down.

your problem is inexperience plain and simple.. you people that camp twice a year with your behemoth overweight harldy davidson .. enough said..


why not setup in a parking lot and practise loading and unloading to improve your confidence level ?

or is that too difficult ?

I always ride in and slide out in neutral! I'll use the front brake while backing out, if it slides a little no big deal then when I feel the back wheel go off of the ramp I loosen up on the front brake and with both feet on the ramp sliding backwards it rolls out. Just make sure you keep it straight upright and don't panic and tighten up on the front brake because when bike is 1/2 way off of the ramp your feet may not be touching! My toy hauler is pretty easy...it is a little squeamish backing it out of my 1 ton dually on my triple 9ft ramps!!

Frankandbeans wrote:
I've always ridden my bike into the hauler. It's called good clutch control. ;)

When backing the bike out, it's always in gear. Use the clutch to control the bike. Some ramps are more slick and steep, and using the front brake will just lock up the front tire.

Yeah, I've never backed down one yet that won't slide when the front tire is used alone. I use front and rear brakes, but whatever works.

1st gear, motor off, clutch it down the ramp. Easy. Do it once and you've got the technique down pat.

X2^

I've always ridden my bike into the hauler. It's called good clutch control. ;)

When backing the bike out, it's always in gear. Use the clutch to control the bike. Some ramps are more slick and steep, and using the front brake will just lock up the front tire.

johntank wrote:
The draw back with this,
1)bike needs to have a center stand
2) needs to have a unrestricted circle the diameter of the length of their bike to be able to turn it around
3) most of the bigger road bikes will be longer than the trailer will be wide on the in side. JMHO

The turn tables I have seen do not require a bike with a center stand.

Using the back brake is no big deal. You should be able to balance it just fine. Usually the worst part is when the rear wheel is on the ground and the front wheel is still coming down the ramp. Sometimes that can be interesting. :) But really, whatever works best for you.

Having done this many, many times with Harleys and a Gold Wing, all I can say is that it's a fairly simple job to back a big bike down a toy hauler ramp. Put it in first gear, and use the clutch and front brake to control it. Don't use the rear brake !! Anybody that is riding a big bike should be able to handle it so it won't tip over to the side.

If the ramp is slippery for your feet, I highly recommend some type of traction control such as adhesive traction strips or sanded roll-on bed liner.